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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. face — to point toward
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. mug — a cup
  5. wax — to grow
  6. saw — the tool
  7. face — to confront
  8. cell — a phone
  9. club — for dancing
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. mug — a face
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. club — a group
  14. bore — to tire
  15. bore — to drill
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. wake — a trail
  19. face — part of the head
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. club — for golf
  22. mug — to rob
  23. cell — in biology
  24. saw — the tool

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com